New-York tribune., 1887-04-24
RARE EGYPTIAN RELICS.
Hsw COLLECTION OF THE MUSEUM OF ART
wuxNuxs or CONTEMPORARIES OF MOSES AND ARTl-
Giles OF THE PToLKMAIc PERIOD.

ve,tnen are now arranging the collection OF Egypuan
ANTIQUITIES which is being received from the Dou,.i
Museum in Egypt Some Of these arrived sesos.'
months ago and tho remainder Of the collection
peoted during the year. The basement u conve.;oS
temporarily into workshop the materials q ~0s
arc the mummies who when they hveo ana oleA'"eu
wore the contemporaries Of Abraham Moses St .h.
Alexander the Great No visitors are permit'eu ~ .n
portion OF the Museum, which Is anaer sne ma ths
Professur Isaso j. Hail. the Oriental scholar ana tue
ourator of this department Of the Museum In
"A tba mumu les there are numerous relics asso'
With them and of even greater antiquity oome "
these relios span the period OF recorded
their origin 1t s believe previous TO the time wnen
Abraham With his family, hocks sna neto.
visit into Egypt. Tho entire collection VIII inciuue
about tw cnty sarcophagi with their mummles ossiu'
ming with the Eleventh Dynasty, 1000 b. u. ana eH
teuding through the several periods OF the ret'S
occupation OF Egypt and the Ptoiemies oo~ ausS ~ 80
Byzantine epooh whom Egyptian cfvni1n"ou "a
and passed. sway. II includes largo numoo' "
bronscs. sculptures funeral statuettes' oaSHee'
enamslled pottery terra Gotta vases and iu"ers'
opics Egyptian cloths. utensils ana turni'ui ~
collection is secured by General al Cesnois ~, ~:
museum In exchange tor dupnoa'e pl0ooe "a
Cvpriote collection Last year In correspondents
Nth Professor Maspero the DirectorGenerai OF tho
Boul.k Museum, General di Ccsnola made ARRANGE
s,ents for securing these Egyptian anuqulioe 40
mummies and other specimens are being p,se'u :"
large glass cases as they arrive "hsn '.o 49,.
been completed this collection, 1t is exIeotea' WIZ oo
IN readiness to put exhibition and IL vii, ior oI
of the most Interesting portions oil the e1nios 40 "
- the larsest in this country.
The renewed interest in archaeological studies WITH
IN few years has made the discovery OF ne" 'oni.'
and relies of Ancient Egypt rare and vaiuao'o. ~.
fessor Masperos explorations within two years nave
been amona the most remarkable In their results.
They have brought to light again the remains VI
Sesostris or Rameses H. the most powerful OF
monarohs and known better to the modern wor,a -
the oppressor OF the Hebrews before .he pit.n VI
Moses His mummy is well preserved thar II mas
been photographed and copies giving correct ldea OF
the appearance OF Of the first conquerors OF inc
world, who lived 1000 years ago, art now soia All
over the country Tho remains also OF stl carrier
EGYPTIAN prince, who headed an uprising anu eA-
PEELED the Shepherd Kings, have been founo anu arc
veil preserved He died on the battle field, and not
only does his mummy show the wound where spear
pierced his iace but also the expression OF agony re-
mains preserved. large number OF Egyptian omciai
records pspyrus covering hall dozen cen,u,o' ,
have been discovered and will throw new hgnt on
periods that were supposed to be forever buried oome
of the mummies which the Museum OF Art now secures
belong to the same period as Rameses III ana were
obtained at the same time. The completed COLLECTION
will ucl1de some portions OF all those recent expofa
tions.
In the tombs of Kor which Mr.. Haggard's fancy has
described in his novel She,' the mummies OF al an
cent race were preserved that even the SKID re-
tanod its natural tint and the bodies would taKe re
like celluloid, burning as steadily as it they were
great wax tapers. The real mummy is not 80 attrac-
tive in its appearance. 1t is thoroughly dfed ana
seasoned and 30 saturated with pitchy substance
used in elnbaming that 1t would burn readily, Dut
the best specimens such as that OF hameses are
shrivelled and parched and resemble living beings as
little IS dried apples do the fresh fruit The expres
sons of the iiug being be easily recognized IN the
mummy's face and usually on every colin there is
sort Vt mask tae mummy's head which IS Ike
ness Of the mummy itself so closely drawn that the
resemblance oan be after glance at tho body
The masks are frequently painted or gilded but in
other instances in the Museum specimens, they are
made OF esh-colorod composition which is as perfect
q IL 1t had been taken in plaster few days ngo In
these masks every lineanent OF the oouotenances
stands out rs though they the sleeping faces OF tho
men and women who died ages agO. Sone OF the
Museum masks sort of head-dress for the dead.
and other instances they not on the face0ut
the entire front of the mummy. The masks are
termed oartonnase and appear TO be sort Of pspisr
maohe of linen and kind of putty that the Egyptian
artizaus used largely in their woodwork. The
oartonnage Is always inscribed with heroglSphics
representing n the life OF the mummy the gods
and goddesses of the Egyptians and tcxt or ritnai
In instances the cartonnage has been the GIT OF
some relative friend oil the deal person aud is in
scribed With the name of the gver. The chiei laun
dress of the household who contributed some select
piece of linen to wrap the body of member Of tho
family frequently had that fact Inscribed ON the gift
The excellent preservation OF tho Museum speci-
mems Ii one OF the most striking features OF the
collections. The pictures and inscriptions are drawn
in red black and blue ink The coors do not appear
to have faded in the least and distinct as II
painted there thin few weeks The caskets or
sarcophagi are usually OF red cedar. While the
50 fresh 5ne ss m
s,nce departed and tue fbres dry tnder out
stu solid aud compact The oaskets were originally
Dolished or varnishod it is supposed like the vons Ut
Today but the varnish has eyaporated, leaving the
bare and showing all the and oetects
ct s IN % pSty putting oa In
some oases the coffin makers, Professor Hall says,
appear to have taken portions d older cons TO patch
seen on the pieces. The gliding is confined to the
specimens of later date and Is not found earlier than
600 b. c. 1t has either evaporated from the older
sarcophagi or the process was not tho known. Tho
linen wrappings OF the earlier mummes are frequently
OF much Aner quality than those OF the more modern
The oldest mummies of the Museum collection came
from rock tomb iu Gourmet which was discovered
AND opened only last 1t belongs tC a period OF
the Eleventh Dynasty later than 800 b. G. snd
10 placed by five to ten centuries earlier. was
the family tomb OF one Sennctmous ana contained
eight bodies including that of the owner OF the tomb.
The seal placed the entrance OF the tomb vas found
infect showing that the tomb had not beer disturbed
aimee &c was closed. Some of the bodies had turned
into dust and could notbe removed, but large numh
Of rare articles were found in tAe tomb In good
preservation. Specimens OF sl these with several ,f
the mummiss secured by the Museum Among the
mummies is that Of Khonson, who, is thought,
con Of Senuetmous In good state OF preservation in
his casket The funeral ars in whicn deposited
the heart and entras perfect and also several
statucttes in small wooden shrnrs The casxet OF the
LADY Iuuti another member Of the family, but without
ths mummy, il remarkable from the figures it
which stand out in relief and tor the represcn taon
d the hands folded and holding symbols One OF :he
mummies that OF the Lady lounofrte was unwrapped
few w~eks ago shortly after its arrival. humber
Of tho trustees Of tho Museum present aud DIR.
Prince who directed the task gave an account S the
tomb aud its discovery Oo the casket Of the Lady
lounofrtc are series Of pctuIcs representing her as
she appeared in lite, while performing her daily
duties at home. The faces IN these pictures which
wete extremely distinct, corresponded with the mask
over the mummys tace. They showed a beautiful and
weformcd woman with long flowing tresses and
rank In Egypt who were contemporaries Of Joseph.